DANCING WITH THE STARS, POST-SEASON 24: August 4, 2017 Welcome back, Dancing With The Stars FANS! We have some good news this week and some reason for speculation. BABIES: Gleb and Elena (Samodanova) Savchenko welcomed their 7.9-pound new daughter, Zlata, on Tuesday, August 1, at 10:26 p.m. in Sydney, Australia. Everyone’s healthy and happy, including the excited big sister, Olivia, age 6. That’s wonderful news! I’m just afraid that the child won’t be able to pronounce her own name for a few years; toddlers usually need a lot of coaching and practice to pronounce any word that contains consecutive consonants (in this case, “Zl”). PROS RETURNING? Mark Ballas is too busy in his music career and whatever else right now, but I think he’ll return down the line. Edyta Sliwinska, as I’ve often said, is one of my faves, and she says she would like to come back (remember: She had her second child not long ago). Suppoedly, Maks and Peta don’t even know yet whether they’ll teach and dance. Needless to say, most of us would love to have Derek Hough back, too, whenever possible. Word is that he would gladly return to Dancing With The Stars to teach singer Celine Dion, if that were possible. Isn’t she still in residency in Vegas? I suspect that she would be a pretty-good dancer, though. CELEBS TO DANCE? Paradise: DeMario Jackson, from a recent “Bachelor in Paradise,” is said to be in negotiations to participate in Dancing with the Stars. Supposedly, his co-star, Corinne Olympios, is interested, too. Political: Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was invited but declined due to a hectic schedule of commitments and supposedly because he can’t dance, anyway. WORLD OF DANCE: We’re headed to the finals now and the dancing is even better than before. Derek is an excellent judge, along with Ne-Yo and JLo. I agreed with their first decision of Eva Igo over Diana Pombo in the junior division; but, even though Le Twins are quite good, the married couple is even better and more creative and deserved the trip to the finals for the ‘older’ division. More very soon. Have a happy...

DANCING WITH THE STARS, POST-SEASON 24: July 26, 2017 Hi, dance fans! I hope all’s well with you and that, like me, you’re enjoying a wonderful visit from out-of-town family members. GREAT NEWS! Dancing with the Stars has been nominated for “Favorite Dance TV Show” in the 2017 Industry Dance Awards! This summer’s “World of Dance” from Jennifer Lopez also is a contender. MORE WEDDING INFO from Julianne Hough’s and Peta Murgatroyd’s weddings: JULIANNE (Coeur D’Alene Lake in Idaho): All courtesy of “People Magazine,” 24 July 2017: Julianne’s dress was pure white, off-shoulder, and sort of A-line, very simple. The couple’s two small dogs were the ring bearers—too cute! The celebration included “a welcome party Thursday night and a beach day Friday before the rehearsal dinner. … they shared a kiss as two cannons shot biodegradable confetti into the air. … their reception under a canopy of trees in the nearby woods, which were lit up by more than 2,000 lights and candles. … Hough surprised her husband by timing a fireworks display over the lake during their first dance to OneRepublic’s ‘All This Time’ (to which she also walked down the aisle) and danced with her father, Bruce, to the song, ‘Daddy’s Little Girl,’ which she and her older sister Marabeth wrote for him 10 years ago.” At the reception Julianne wore a dress that was designed for comfort so that she could dance for hours. Julianne and Brooks are settling down in Los Angeles, but, we can tell, will visit their wedding site as often as possible. JULIANNE’S quotes from her wedding to Brooks Laich, to whom she was engaged since August 2015 “’When you know, you know,’ but my whole world turned around the minute I met Brooks. It was instantaneous.” “We are complete opposites with the same core values that bring out the best in each other.” “When I introduced Brooks to the lake, he fell in love with this special spot, and we knew this was where we wanted to raise our family and grow old together. it just felt right be married here.” DEREK said that his sister’s wedding: “was a timeless, magical, romantic experience that was truly perfect in every way. We danced the night away under the stars.” PETA: Tony, Sharna, and Rumer Willis were in the Peta/Maks (“Chmergatroyd”) wedding. Peta wore an ivory gown (she didn’t want stark-white), off-shoulder, tight-fitting to the hips/buttocks/lower abdomen, which then flared into a gorgeous full skirt. Baby son Shai was referred to as the...

DANCING WITH THE STARS, POST-SEASON: July 14, 2017 GREAT NEWS! Dancing with the Stars just earned 7 Emmy Award nominations: 1-5: “Outstanding” Costumes, Makeup, Hairstyling, Lighting, Camera/Video Costumes for Variety Nonfiction or Reality Programming, Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (non-prosthetic) Technical Direction, Camera Work, Video Control for a Series 6-7: “Outstanding Choreography”! Derek Hough, “Kairos” Mandy Moore, “On Top of the World” and “Carol of the Bells” We all know that everything Derek does is fabulous and that certain of his choreographies are absolutely mind blowing. What he accomplishes gives tribute to the stunning training that he (along with sister Julianne and Mark Ballas) received as children in Europe. He really deserves to win! And I don’t say that to take anything away from the awesome Mandy Moore. She, too, has become a dance legend in her own right. You don’t get chosen to choreograph for an entire show of a dozen or more dancers by not having your ducks in the best row possible. Both of these nominees are truly amazing and deserving. I’m not sure about your level of excitement, but I can’t wait to see whether one or both of them will win! If they do win, I hope that their winning choreographies will be shown on the Emmys, at least in part, so that we can be reminded visually of what’s winning and we can celebrate all the harder with them. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 69th annual Emmy Awards–Sunday, September 17th—on CBS (not ABC, where DWTS shows). DWTS has tough competition again in “So You Think You Can Dance” and also in “The Real O’Neals,” so keep your fingers crossed. DIDN’T RECEIVE MY POSTS? If you know someone who signed up for this blog not long ago but has not received posts, please encourage that person to sign up again. A few days ago we discovered that some registrations recently were grabbed by our spam folder (no clue why), so we just instructed our e-mail program that all new user registrations must go only to our inbox. Thank you! ...

DANCING WITH THE STARS, POST-SEASON 24: July 13, 2017 It’s official! Julianne Hough married Brooks Laich and Peta married Maksim Chmerkovskiy, both this past Saturday, July 8. Peta and Maks had advertised for many months that they would have a big and fancy wedding, and they did; they tied the knot at Oheka Castle on Long Island, NY. Can you imagine? An actual castle! “US Weekly” covered it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Julianne and Brooks exchanged vows very simply in a field adjacent to Coeur D’Alene Lake in Idaho. “People” Magazine was there for this one. Both sound lovely, and you might find photos and narrative on them at those Web sites. Word #1 is that the brides’ dresses, arrangements, locations, etc. suited their personalities perfectly. Word #2 is that because Peta and Julianne run in different circles, there was very little difficulty about which well-wishers would go where. Of course, Val and Jenna attended Peta and Maksim’s wedding and showed some PDAs in the process. Will Carrie Ann be next? We hope to learn her and Robb’s plans soon. Not too long after that, I’d like to hear whether Emma and Sasha have reached some decisions for their own special wedding plans. Which pro(s) get your vote(s) to win a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography on Dancing With The Stars? The qualifying nomination period seems to be from late spring 2016 to the end of the 2017 spring season. I think that Emma should be in there for sure, and a few others. Julianne and Derek’s special performance this spring also could be a contender. Write in about this and we’ll talk about it. Season 25 is only 2 months away! In mid-September Dancing With The Stars will return for a fall season, probably opening with the usual glitz and glamour and excitement. Isn’t that what we want? You bet it is! Do you have any DWTS news to share? Bring it on! See you back here very soon! Take care. ...

DANCING WITH THE STARS, POST-SEASON 24: June 30, 2017 Hi, again, Dancing With The Stars fans! I originally published this post on June 30 (except for the new Maria Menounos story that I just added), but I just discovered that it somehow was not distributed by the agency (another post must have knocked it out of the lineup). Here you go! Sometimes-pro Karina Smirnoff was at the Millennium Dance Sport Championships in Orlando this week. I like to see her back on Dancing With The Stars now and then. Judge Bruno Tonioli has been in London; says it’s hot there. It seems that Val and Jenna, too, are vacationing in Europe this week. Maks and Peta had lots of fun on their first father’s day with baby Shai. Peta says that Maks is the best dad and that they love their family sweat/workout sessions together. Reminder: They’ll get married next Saturday, July 8! Derek has been in Nantucket, RI this week and lovin’ it. He’ll have plenty to do at sister Julianne’s wedding next Saturday. One of Gleb and Elena’s favorite places is a horse farm in Sydney, Australia. She’s 34 weeks pregnant; so, probably due in July. On Tues., June 27, Dancing With The Stars host Tom Bergeron visited the Hot Summer Nights pros on tour in NYC. Surprise reunion! You can review the team’s tour schedule at our June 21 post. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba and her love, Robb Derringer, have been enjoying NYC this week. Today, she filled in for Kelly Ripa, co-hosting with Ryan Seacrest. Of course, her high-pitched giggle often rang out in the studio. Prayers for Maria Menounos, former DWTS contestant and a host of “E! Entertainment.” She just underwent a long surgery that removed nearly 100% of a benign brain tumor; also, her mother has stage-4 brain cancer. Being examined by a doctor shortly after she noticed symptoms of headaches, lightheadedness, and slurred speech was the smart thing to do! She’s keeping a highly optimistic attitude throughout the whole situation. Before we know it, the pros will be back in the studio rehearsing with newly assigned celebs. I’ll pass along news of them and their celebs whenever I have it over the next several weeks. If you have ideas for DWTS topics on this blog or suggestions for how I can make blog posts easier to read, especially during fall and spring seasons, be sure to let me know. Note that, last season, I added the remaining dances that each...

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About Me

Professionally, after decades of employment for others, Vickie Weaver founded Writestyle in 1996 to provide writing, editing, proofreading, training, and more to clients worldwide. She has written and/or edited for “Coexistence Magazine” (national), “Ohio Magazine,” and various newspapers. In addition, she has edited or contributed to the writing of numerous books. Personally, she has won awards and publication for some of her poems and is compiling a book of her poetry. She enjoys music and dance, and strives for beauty and harmony in life.